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Duplicators

22 October 2007

Aleratec has announced that they've started shipping the next generation of their LightScribe DVD/CD desktop publisher. This new version of the 1:1 DVD/CD Copy Cruiser Pro HLS features faster DVD LightScribe recorders and a lighter enclosure with a new look.

Aleratec, Inc., leading developer and manufacturer of Aleratec Award Winning "Prosumers' Choice" solutions for the Blu-ray, DVD/CD, USB duplicating, and DVD/CD publishing markets, announced it is now shipping the 1:1 DVD/CD Copy Cruiser Pro HLS using a lighter enclosure with a new look and faster DVD LightScribe recorders. The 1:1 DVD/CD Copy Cruiser Pro HLS is the next generation of the award winning personal disc publisher that records and duplicates DVDs and CDs and produces custom silkscreen quality labels without a printer. This all in one machine can duplicate DVDs and CDs in its standalone mode with no computer required. The 1:1 DVD/CD Copy Cruiser Pro HLS produces professional looking DVD/CD copies for customers or staff anytime with the ability to create custom labels with the included Aleratec Disc Publishing Software Suite.

The 1:1 DVD/CD Copy Cruiser Pro HLS is available now for an estimated retail price of $349. More information can be found on Aleratec's website. Add a comment

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Home Entertainment

19 October 2007

The Australian tech site, Smarthouse, has reported that Toshiba is working with Microsoft on a new version of the Xbox 360. Developed in response to the PS3, this new Xbox would include an internal HD DVD drive, larger hard drive and new entertainment software.

Microsoft, according to insiders at Toshiba owner of the HD DVD patents, claim that Microsoft is working on a brand new Xbox that will incorporate not only a new HD DVD drive but a large hard drive and new entertainment software that is a spin off from its struggling media centre offering.

The device is being developed in response to the PS3 driving sales of games software and Blu-ray content in several countries. A recent Sony Brand Wave study conducted in five countries including the UK, Australia, France Germany and Spain revealed that a key reason that consumers are buying a PS3 is because it includes a Blu-ray player.

While Microsoft has denied in the past that they are working on an HD DVD equipped Xbox 360, I would not be surprised if one was in the works. Hopefully they can get it out on the market before the format war is over. If you'd like to read more, the entire article can be found here. Add a comment

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Duplicators

19 October 2007

Epson recently announced the release of their new integrated desktop disc duplication solution, the Discproducer. Designed for businesses, the Discproducer is equipped with Epson's AcuGrip robotic technology and can burn and print up to 100 discs per job.

Epson, a leading manufacturer of advanced inkjet printing,precision imaging and robotics technology, today announced the release ofDiscproducer, a compact, integrated desktop disc duplication solutiondesigned for businesses that need to create professional quality CDs orDVDs on demand.

Discproducer enables the creation of individualized disc content, labelcontent or both, at quantities of one to one-hundred discs per job. UsingDiscproducer, educators, disc publishing service bureaus and professionalphotographers can burn and print up to 100 copies of the same disc orunique discs, making it an ideal and flexible solution for low-volume discpublishing where high quality customized labeling is required.

The Discproducer will be available in the first quarter of 2008. If you'd like to read more, Epson's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment

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Optical Storage

19 October 2007

With the OEM price of 4x and 8x DVD+R/-R media at an all time low, many companies are switching their orders from CD-R to DVD+R/-R discs. As a result, the CD-R production capacity among Taiwan-based manufacturers has fallen from 70-80% in the third quarter of this year to 60-70%.

As second-tier Taiwan-based makers of blank optical discs have lowered OEM quotes to compete for orders for 4x and 8x DVD+R/-R discs, OEM orders originally for CD-R discs have been switched to DVD+R/-R discs and this has caused decreases in CD-R production utilization rates for many makers in Taiwan, according to industry sources.

While OEM prices for CD-R discs have stayed at US$0.09-0.10 currently, those for 4x or 8x DVD+R/-R discs have dropped to US$0.11-0.12 and some makers have even quoted US$0.10, the sources indicated. The reduction in price gap has pushed OEM orders from CD-R to DVD+R/-R discs, and consequently, the utilization of CD-R production capacity among Taiwan-based makers has fallen from 70-80% in the third quarter of this year to 60-70% at present, the sources pointed out.

If you'd like to read more, head on over to DigiTimes. Add a comment

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Other

18 October 2007

Apevia X-Jupiter Jr G Mid Tower ATX Case @Benchmark Reviews
ASUS Blitz Formula & Blitz Extreme Motherboards @Virtual-Hideout
Crucial Ballistix 2GB PC3-12800 DDR3 Dual Channel Memory Kit @Bigbruin.com
Foxconn "Digital Life" X38A Motherboard @Hardware Zone
Kingston HyperX DDR3 PC11000 CL5 @ChileHardware
Kingwin Z1 Hard Drive Enclosure @Tweaknews.net
Noctua 80mm And 120mm Case Fans @HardwareLogic
OCZ ATV 4GB USB Flash Drive @OCModShop
Rosewill R6AS5 PC Case @ThinkComputers.org
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST31000340AS 1TB HDD @I4U
Thermaltake Toughpower 1kW PSU @BCCHardware
X-Arcade Tankstick Dual Joystick Controller @Futurelooks
XFX GeForce 8800 GTS Fatal1ty @TweakPC

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Optical Storage

18 October 2007

Sony NEC Optiarc Europe recently announced the launch of their new slimline Blu-ray combo drive. The BC-5500A supports the playback of Blu-ray Disc movies and can read and write to all current CD and DVD formats.

Sony NEC Optiarc Europe GmbH (Optiarc Europe) has launched its first Blu-ray Disc Combo (BD Combo) for notebooks. The Optiarc BC-5500A supports BD playback at double speed as well as read and write of conventional DVD and CD media. This versatile product gives even mid-range notebooks the BD capability that is currently a privilege of the top-of-line notebooks.

Optiarc BC-5500A is a fruit of successful integration of the advanced components technologies from Sony and NEC. It sports Sony’s optical pickup module and NEC’s system LSI in the heart of the drive, that enable 2x BD reading speed for flawless playback of high definition video. Thus the BC-5500A is the ideal device for notebook users that are interested in burning DVDs and CDs and additionally are looking to be able to play back Blu-ray Discs and watch HD-movies.

The BC-5500A will be available in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, starting in September. More information, including a full list of specs, can be found here. Add a comment

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Other

17 October 2007

ASUS Blitz Formula P35 Motherboard @TweakTown
ASUS EN8600GT OC Gear Graphics Card @Virtual-Hideout
Cooler Express CE-48-S-1C Phase Change CPU Cooler @PC Apex
CoolerMaster Gemin II CPU Cooler @Virtual-Hideout
Corsair Padlock Secure USB 2.0 Flash Memory Drive @Futurelooks
Envision H190L 19" LCD Monitor @ThinkComputers.org
Intel Core 2 Duo E4500 M0 Stepping CPU @Madshrimps
Logitech MX620 Cordless Laser Mouse @InsideHW.com
OCZ Reaper HPC PC2-9200 DDR2 1150MHz RAM Kit @Benchmark Reviews
OCZ ProXstream 1000W PSU @OCModShop
Wolf King Trooper Gaming Mouse @I4U
Zalman CNPS8700 LED INTEL/AMD CPU Cooler @Tweaknews.net
Zalman Z-Machine GT1000 @HotHardware.com

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Flash Memory

17 October 2007

SanDisk sent out a press release earlier today, announcing an 8GB version of its SanDisk Extreme III SDHC card. Developed for high-performance digital cameras, the 8GB SanDisk Extreme III SDHC card has a maximum read/write speed of 20 MB/s and can store more than 4,000 high-resolution pictures or up to 16 hours of MPEG 4 video.

More capacity and fast transfer speeds are the chief benefits of the SanDisk Extreme III 8-gigabyte (GB)1 SDHC (SD High-Capacity) flash memory card, which was introduced today by SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ: SNDK). This and other imaging products from SanDisk will be displayed in Booth 1808 at PhotoPlus 2007 International Conference & Expo, which opens Thursday at Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. The 8GB SDHC card will be packaged with a SanDisk MicroMate USB 2.0 Reader - a $20 value - so that users have a one-stop solution for capturing, storing and transferring their images. The bundled card and reader are expected to ship within the next 30 days to U.S. retailers at a suggested price of $179.99. It will also be available in Europe.

If you'd like to read more, SanDisk's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment

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Optical Storage

17 October 2007

Panasonic has officially announced their 4x Blu-ray Disc writer, the LF-PB271JD. This new drive sports a Serial ATA interface and is capable of writing to both BD-R and BD-R DL media at 4x. Here's part of their press release, translated from Japanese:

The Panasonic marketing headquarters sells the Blu-ray Disc drive for the personal computer data from November 10th. The Blu-ray Disc format of BD-R, BD-RE and BD-ROM which the blue ray disk association standardizes is supported not only, the DVD-RAM disk (5 time speed) and the like DVD MULTI and the CD format were supported, wide compatibility high record playback efficiency was actualized. High picture quality treble quality of the hi-vision times which have started spreading quickly it is the Blu-ray Disc drive for the personal computer data which actualizes bulk data retention such as digital image.

The LF-PB271JD will be released to the Japanese market on November 10th. While Panasonic has announced a price, AV Watch expects the drive to cost about 55,000 Yen ($471US). More information, including a full list of specs, can be found here. Add a comment